Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio would share battery swap tech to other automakers

Hui Zhang, controlling director of Nio in Europe, instructed journalists at an function held in Norway final 7 days the business wasin talks with automakers without the need of naming them.

When questioned to clarify whether sharing meant licensing or a different kind of business enterprise settlement, the company declined to furnished addition particulars.

Nio has so considerably constructed 868 swap stations in China and statements its clients have swapped batteries 7.6 million instances.

The enterprise has touted battery swapping as a exceptional marketing stage for the brand’s quality SUVs and forthcoming sedan range and promoting the battery swap system would be the equivalent of Tesla’s recent decision to enable other manufacturers to use its Supercharger network.

Battery swapping is a great deal a lot quicker than charging but the price to put in the network is substantially increased. A analyze printed very last calendar year by The Swedish Transportation Administration on the lookout at battery swapping quoted Nio-sourced figures indicating each individual swap station expenses $772,000 (699,000 euros) to develop in China, together with batteries and internet site leasing, in contrast to $309,112 for a bank of charge points.

Nio mentioned it is hunting to decrease develop charges for the swap stations, which now have the ability to keep 13 batteries.

Licensing its platform to an additional automaker could maximize the utilization amount of the swap stations, earning them additional expense successful.

Just one probable customer is Geely-owned Lotus Technologies, the Chinese “way of life” division of the British athletics vehicle maker, in which Nio has an expenditure by way of its venture money arm.

Geely has its very own options to established up 5,000 battery swapping stations for electric motor vehicles globally by 2025. It has not said whether or not it would produce its have platform.

The Chinese authorities has been supporting the rollout of swap stations in the state. In a indicator of this, Beijing has provided Nio exemptions from a plan that dropped EV purchase incentives for high quality-priced vehicles.

China’s Ministry of Field and Facts Technologies (MIIT) very last yr posted the world wide auto industry’s first expectations for battery swapping know-how aimed at encouraging wider adoption of the apply.

Approximately all customers of the ES8 SUV that Nio released in Norway have opted to lease the battery independently, which provides access to swapping stations, Nio explained.

Two no cost swaps are incorporated a month in the battery lease payment. Prospects can choose to change involving paying out additional for the 100-kilowatt-hour battery or the much less expensive 75 kWh battery, which arrives afterwards this yr.

Nio will increase into Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany later on this year.

Nio’s launch product in Germany will be the ET7 sedan, an electrical rival to the BMW 7 Collection, which also arrives with battery swapping engineering.

By Tara